The present invention relates to a robot system and a control method thereof, and is suitably applicable to for example a pet robot.
In recent years, a four pedalism type pet robot which performs predetermined motions according to instructions from a user or circumferential environment has been provided and developed by the present applicant. Such pet robot has a form like a dog or a cat kept in general homes, and it performs the motions according to the instructions from the user or the circumferential environment.
As a tail of the pet robot of this kind, a tail that will be shaken in vertical direction or lateral direction according to drive of actuators built in the rear end of the body part has been provided, not only a tail in the shape of a cord that has been simply hung from the rear end of the body part.
On the other hand, in the pet robot of this kind, a battery being a storage cell provided inside the body has been used as a main power supply. Various circuits or actuators will be respectively based on electric power to be supplied from the above battery.
In the above pet robot, it can be considered that in case of shaking the tail according to the drive of the actuators, if the above tail can be bent and shaken in a direction that corresponds to its emotion at each time as a true dog or cat, a sense of affinity and a feeling of satisfaction can be further given to the user; amusement characteristic as a pet robot can be further improved.
Furthermore, the tail is not required to move as the occasion demands as the legs. The tail can be freely moved at any time. For that reason, it is further desirable that when a trouble happened inside the pet robot, the fact can be informed the unit by the motion of the tail.
Additionally, in the above pet robot, even if the battery provided in the body part is almost empty, a scheme for informing the user of the necessity of charging or replacing the above battery has not been provided yet.
If practically the battery becomes empty and the pet robot becomes in stopping state, it seems to be dead. The pet robot results in being against the aim of the pursuit of amusement. Therefore, it is extremely desirable that it can make the pet robot express appetite that real animals have to the user as wants to be charged.
In many cases, in this pet robot, a driving system including the battery has been provided in the body part. In this case, a ventilating opening has been formed at a predetermined position of the body part. External air will be let into the body part via the above ventilating opening. Thus, the internal temperature of the body part can be prevented from extremely raising.
However, in this pet robot, when the ventilating opening has been closed by floor as when the pet robot is lying down, air from the outside cannot be taken inside the pet robot. Therefore, it is feared that the internal temperature of the body part becomes extremely high, and it makes the battery unusable.
For that reason, in viewing of insuring its safety, it is extremely desirable that the above pet robot is stood upright and the internal air can be circulated via the ventilating opening just before the internal temperature of the pet robot reaches xe2x80x98critical temperaturexe2x80x99.
Considering the above points, the present invention provides a robot system and a control method thereof in that amusement characteristic can be remarkably improved on the other hand the necessity of battery charging can be represented by an attitude and its safety can be ensured.
To obviate such problems, according to the present invention, in a robot system having a movable part of which one end has been connected freely in rotation in the direction of at least one axis or more, motion control means for operating the movable part according to input information to be supplied, and emotion/instinct model changing means having emotion/instinct models caused by motions, for changing the emotion/instinct model based on the input information and determining the motion of the movable part have been provided. As a result, in this pet robot system, emotions which true animals have obtained based on approaches from a user, command input and a motion of itself can be represented by the motion of movable parts and an attitude. Thereby, a sense of affinity and a feeling of satisfaction and the like can be further given to the user; its amusement characteristic can be remarkably improved.
According to the present invention, in a robot system having a movable part of which one end has been connected freely in rotation in the direction of at least one axis or more, detecting means for detecting the internal state of the robot system, and motion control means for operating the movable part according to the detected result by the detecting means have been provided. As a result, in this robot system, the internal state of the above robot can be represented by the motion of movable parts and an attitude. Thereby, reaction like an animal can be shown to the user, and a sense of affinity and a feeling of satisfaction can be given to the user.
According to the present invention, in a robot system having a battery built-in as a power source, remaining amount of battery detecting means for detecting the remaining amount of the battery, and motion control means, if the remaining amount of the battery detected by the remaining amount of battery detecting means becomes a prescribed level or below, for changing the robot system into a predetermined attitude and/or making it appear a predetermined motion have been provided. As a result, in this robot system, a manner that it appeals its appetite as if it is a true animal can be transmitted to the user and giving the user a sense of affinity and a feeling of satisfaction; its amusement characteristic can be remarkably improved.
According to the present invention, in a robot system having a body part having a power source built-in and in that an exhausting opening has been formed at a predetermined position of the above body part, temperature detecting means for detecting the internal temperature of the body part, and motion control means, if the internal temperature detected by the temperature detecting means becomes a prescribed temperature and over, for changing the robot system into a predetermined attitude and/or making it appear a predetermined motion have been provided. As a result, in this robot system, trouble of the internal power source can be prevented. Thus, its safety can be ensured.
According to the present invention, in a method of controlling a robot system having a battery built-in as a power source, the first step of detecting the remaining amount of the battery, and the second step, if the above detected remaining amount of the battery becomes a prescribed level or below, of changing the robot system into a predetermined attitude and/or making it appear a predetermined motion have been provided. As a result, the robot system can be controlled so that a manner that it appeals its appetite as if it is a true animal can be transmitted to the user and giving the user a sense of affinity and a feeling of satisfaction. Thereby, a method of controlling a robot system in that its amusement characteristic can be remarkably improved can be realized.
Furthermore, according to the present invention, in a robot system having a body part having a power source built-in and in that an exhausting opening has been formed at a predetermined position of the above body part, the first step of detecting the internal temperature of the body part, and the second step, if the internal temperature detected by the temperature detecting means becomes a prescribed temperature and over, of changing the robot system into a predetermined attitude and/or making it appear a predetermined motion have been provided. As a result, the robot system can be controlled so that trouble of the power source in this pet robot system can be prevented. Thus, a method of controlling a robot system that can ensure its safety can be realized.